I'm almost 20!

Well well... how is everyone doing? Things are going pretty well here. Thanks for the emails Trish, Mom and Dad... It was good to see pictures of Nick and Michael Chow.. This week was pretty crazy again.. This whole transfer has been super weird and unnormal.. or at least that's how I feel. 

Today we are all in Namur, probably one of the most beautiful cities ever... it is soo sweet. It has a huge citdel so we went exploring in it. It's so pretty, I am sure there are photos on the internet.. check it out.. I have photos, but Ya... It was pretty fun... we walked through all these caves/tunnels.. etc; but ummmmm

 
So the week... on Tuesday we had a pretty good day and we just saw our amis and taught them with Patrick.. Then on Wednesday, we had a workday with the Assistants... Im not§ sure why President wanted them to work with us, but he did.. probably to make sure we aren't terrible missionaries... haha.. but anyway that was pretty good.. Elder Schmutz went to Brussels and worked with Elder Carey the Dutch Assistant.. and Elder Bailey, the French Assistant went with me down to Namur to work.. We had a charge in Namur.. so like we had all the Leaders in the Zone come to Namur, so I think we had 6 companionships just finding all day in Namur.. it was pretty good.. It was interesting working with Elder Bailey the Assistant... He is obviously a great missionary.. just a little special.. but we found some elect people... a big Congolais famille and a younger student from Ruwanda.. It was a great day.. 
As for the week we were pretty busy.. Fatiha is doing pretty good. Because she has a daughter that is like pro-Muslim, she wasn't able to come to church this week.. her and her daughter were having some problems or something.. but we taught her this last Friday with Esther at the library.. It was so great... Esther is a stud(ette)? haha She is s solid convert and she understands the Gospel well.. Also.. other sweet news we just began teaching Daniel's bother.. he is really great... he just isn't super reliable with rendez vous etc....
On Friday we had an exchange with some Elders in Liege, one is from Kaysville (Elder Spackman) and the other from Austria (Elder Schaunig) Oh man, it was such an amazing day.. I worked with Elder Schaunig here in Charleroi and we worked with both Esther and Daniel.. it was great teaching with people I taught.. Elder Schaunig is an amazing Elder... he is one transfer younger than me but he is way better.. man... We found a sweet Congolais family that is Pentacostal, but they felt the Spirit and are going to read in the Book of Mormon.. 
The week was kinda stressful a little but it was still really good.. I got to drink AMERICAN MILK this week and eat AMERICAN CEREAL... it was sweet.. so good... We got some supply from the American Army Base in Mons.. Anyway.. I love you all!  Thanks for the letters etc.. I hope I get my package, but we are having a Seventy come for Zone Conference and I have heard that we aren't getting any packages etc... SO we will see.. 
Elder Simonson

MIRACLES!

Hello all... so this week was pretty stinking crazy.. We didn't have time for a lot of normal missionary work but we still had a great week packed with miracles like always... Monday was a pretty normal day, but Tuesday I had to go down to Namur to meet with the Zone Leaders for District Leader Council.. and Elder Palomaki and I had an exchange in Charleroi.. Elder Schmutz went to Liege to work with our French brother Elder Villain .. Our exchange was soooo great.. Elder Palomaki is an insanely good missionary.. I learned lots.. also we saw Fatiha that day.. and she had still been reading and had lots of questions and anyways to make a long story short she now has a baptismal date for the 18th of April.. She is so elect she wanted to understand how to use the atonement of Jesus Christ and be clensed from her sins.. so we taught her from the Bible and the Book of Mormon and she completely understood...and wants to be baptized... on Wednesday, Elder Schmutz and I spent the morning on trains back from Liege.. and then we had a service project all morning at this member's house.. I guess you can call it that.. it was terrible!  But, Thursday like always was spent planning for the week and going to Ward meetings.. so we didn't have too much time to find teach and baptize haha... Friday we had to go do legality in Lille, France and that ate up the majority of the day .. but then on Saturday Elder Davis and I had an exchange and I went and worked in the Charleroi 1 area.. It was so intense we found sooo many solid sweet people.. and taught a ton of people... Sunday was a sweet day like always...so back to Fatiha.. on Saturday at like 1 o'clock in the morning we get a text from her saying that we scare her and that she only has confidence in God, etc... she was like wondering what we really want from her or something like that.. it was really weird and we were kinda worried and didn't know if she would come to church.. Well, SHE CAME.. and she asked if we got her text and we told ya but we didn't understand really what she wanted to say.. so she pulls out a letter for us.. anyway I read the letter and talked to her after church.. She is and was scared of us because she feels like we have been reading her thoughts and seeing and knowing what is in her heart.. The spirit has been working on her super hard and she isn't used to it and it kinda scared her.. We talked to her and told her that it was the Holy Ghost and God that knows her and what's in her heart and that we are just trying to follow the Spirit and what God wants us to teach her and tell her.. I guess last time we talked to her.. we had decided that we wanted her to read Alma chapters 40, 41, and 42 and when she read it, it spoke to her directly and answered her questions that she had been asking herself for a long time... in her letter she said that she knows that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true and that she really wants to be baptized and recieve the Holy Ghost.. she is so insanely elect it is just freaking ridiculous.. last week in church in amis class we talked about the Word of Wisdom and she stopped coffee, tea, and is starting to stop smoking.. freaking crazy... Charleroi is such a blessed city.. how greatful I am to be here.. We will see Fatiha tomorrow.. so I'm excited... I got Grandma and Grandpa's package.. thanks so much! I loved the Book of Mormon, that is soooo sweet.. but I gotta go for now.. I love you very much.. sounds like things are going well back home.. Keep prayin' hard.. I need all the stinkin' help I can get.. chao chao
Elder Simonson

Muslims?

So this last week has been a really great one..some great miracles...
The week started out pretty good.  We had interviews with President.. which was great. I had a lot of things to ask him and he had a lot of things to tell me.. so I've got lots to work on. But one miracle that stood out above the rest was a wonderful lady from Morroco named Fatiha Asmana.. Elder Reynolds and I first contacted her like his last 2 weeks or something like that, anyway nothing really came of that because she was Muslim and she was telling us about Mohammed and all that fun stuff.. Well, like the first week with Elder Schmutz we contacted her and she was really cool and nice and she gave us her number so we called her and met her in a cafe near our house.. the rendez vous went pretty well, but she had a lot of questions and liked to tell us about Islam.. but.... we gave her the Book of Mormon and explained it and she loved it.. and was super interested in it.. so we gave her some stuff to read and set up another rendez vous..then the next week we felt like we should talk about the Plan of Salvation a little bit but, really focus on the fact that Jesus Christ is our Savior and not just a Prophet, because she said she had always thought that Jesus was more than a prophet and that there was something special about him.. so we did, and we gave her a bunch of stuff to read on the Atonement... Well, she called us on Tuesday saying she had read it and was wondering if there were things that she had to pay for or atone for.. and she said she hadn't slept well and just felt weird and bad since we had talked to her.. so she told us that she needed to see us soon... so we set up a rendez vous for the next day and she just had tons and tons of questions... we will just say that she has a very Muslim background and just doesn't understand a lot of base simple things.... well after the appointment on Thur. we didn't know exactly what to do.. well she continued to read in the Book of Mormon and she called us on Friday night wondering when and where church was because she wanted to come.. so Sunday morning she was there at the bus stop just waiting... well long story short... she loved church and felt so good afterwards and she totally changed after church... Then last night she sent us a text thanking us for taking her to church and saying that, "Well I don't know how to say it, but I think that Jesus Christ is the son of God and I think that he has entered into my heart and I feel protected"..and then she was like "thank you, God for putting me in your path".. It was sweet... If you understood Muslims you would be as excited as I am.. This lady is elect but we have to set up a meeting with Pres. and her to make sure we can continue teaching her.. she isn't practicing but .. ya still dangerous.. Anyway other news.. things have just been all coming together this week.. Heavenly Father has really been guiding his work.. We have been meeting with Anastasie and Valery and they had read in Alma 7 and they said it talked alot about baptism and how we need to be baptized to return to our Heavenly Father.. and then she was like, "Can we talk about baptism?" haha .. so we were like, "Well, ok if you want"... anyway so we set a baptismal date with them for the 11th of April but they have a lot to work on still... 

Well it was great to see the pictures of Emmy's baptism.. I can't freaking believe how much she has stinkin' grown up, it's insane.. she looks so much older in the face.. anyway things are going great.. but super super busy... and ya.. so sorry if I stink at letters and emails.. love you all talk to you later.
Jacob

A trip to Lille

Well, well... the week flew by and it was pretty good.. Elder Schmutz is as red headed as ever and we are working hard!  Things are going good. We were able to start teaching some more people this week. The Romanians are pretty cool, we taught them with Patrick this week.  Also the Sisters gave us some of their investigators that lived in our area and we started teaching them and they are sweet... they are both really elect.. their names are Anastasie and Valery, they are a couple and have two boys... she is from Cote Divoir and I think he is Belge.. they are so sweet and we are going to set a baptismal date with them soon.. 

As for this Sunday, we got to go down to Lille, France to listen to Elder Dallin H. Oaks.  He was at the Stake Conference and all of the missionaries in Belgium and France got to go... That was pretty sweet...it was so powerful.. and he gave us direction straight from Pres. Monson that we should be teaching at least 20 lessons a week... so pretty much a Commandment.. haha 
Sounds like you all had fun riding snowmobiles... you punks... that's ok.. as for the shoes, I guess you could say that they were cute.. they were brown and pink but they just so happend to be the size that one of the Sisters wore so I gave them to her.. along with the panties... just kidding.. I only gave her the shoes.. 

As for the pictures and news from home...Man, President Dye looks old... haha as for Josh getting married, that is weird.. but his girlfriend is cute... I can't think of much else to say.. but I do have a couple of little requests... if you were wanting to send me a package for the 18th which happens to be my Birthday.. we have Zone Conference on the 20th so if you get it in the mail and get it here before then I will get it quickly, but I just wanted/ needed some things.. I would like some more non-scented shaving cream.. I had some of that Aveeno stuff for dry skin.. but other Elders (named Elder Davis) likes to use it so now it is gone.. also a couple of deodorants .. they like don't sell real deodorant here.. so just antipersperant/deodorant.. Old Spice.. Cool Blast or something.. I don't know.. also I would dig some more hair putty stuff.. I had Garnier, little green container with the green lid (not the yellow lid).. also I would like a bunch of Kool-aid packets and gravy packets.. There is something else but I am blanking.. so if I think of it, I will write you a letter and tell you... Love you so much, thanks for all that you do.. and for prayers and stuff.. take care and talk to you next Monday.. Choa 

Oh P.S. got word of who our new President is.. President Scott Brubaker 

Elder Simonson

Nice Package!!

Hey...it's good to hear from you and all that.. the problem is.. is like all the little internet shops are closed today and the only one that is open is packed.. I just waited for like an hour to get this computer so.. I am trying to hurry so Elder Schmutz can email as well...
Well, I finally got Tess and Jake's package... And frankly I am a little confused... It came in this huge plastic bag.. because it had been torn in two pretty much, So on the way back from Brussels for Zone Conference, I opened it...and I was surprised to find some contents that I am 36 percent sure Tess and Jake didn't send... so the slippers and the pajamas and the letters and photos were all expected... but did you send me size 6 and a half pink and brown girl American Eagle shoes?  With little power rangers in it... and also two pairs of girls panties one white and one pink...? If so you are a little wierd... and it was a lot wierd.. haha... What I think happend was there was some other packages.. and one of them got ripped open as well... and so the workers just kinda grabbed the randoms items on the floor and put them in the package.. and taped it up and sent it to Belgium like that... hahah oh that was silly... anyway we had Zone Conference this week and it was on contacting and Elder Schmutz and I had to give an example of good contacting in front of the whole zone and we contacted President Woodland... 
As regarding your questions... no I'm not fat... yes, I got your letter with photos.. last Tuesday, It was sweet... But I think you sent another one... with goodies for Valentines and I haven't gotten that one yet... At the moment I sit at 67 kilos... I am not absolutely sure what that figures out to be in pounds but one time I figured it and if I remember right it was 145 or maybe 147 so like maybe I have gained 5 or 7 pounds..; but I didn't think I was looking fat...I will admit when I looked at pictures of me in the MTC I looked skinnier in the face and stuff... 
As for things that have been going on that you can report... I don't know... Daniel was baptized.. Esther and Dylan were baptized and... Ya... Daniel at church yesterday leaned over to me and asked if he could buy a Gospel Principles book so that he could teach his mom and help her little by little want to come to church... so that is what he did... Also he invited his brother and his mom to church, but they have yet to come to church... Dylan is coming to church... Esther comes like every other week which is sad but she has a lot on her plate right now... Just tell the Ward that the Lord is amazing.. and He can do a lot of big things with small weak things ... haha... and also tell them that it is all of our jobs to move forward the work of our Heavenly Father which is helping bring souls to salvation..
Senior Companion is tough.. we have been working hard but not seeing a lot to show for it... but we are learning tons... everything is holding up well... I love my Docker shoes.. and wear them pretty much everyday... and save my Rockports for special things ..but my Dockers are taking a beating?... they almost have a hole in them, but they are fine for a little longer.. 
Anyway... so tranfers are already here... but I am staying here with E. Schmutz and so All is well.. well... I will be having a little more responsibility as well.. I have to teach District meeting now.. Love you and talk to you later..
Elder Simonson

I Love Romanians!

Well, well, well...some people other than Mom finally decided to write me... Thanks for the emails, Danny, Trisha, and Dad.. It was good to hear from you. Sounds like Dan is the same.. and Trish too... but Dad sounds like he has got some new piano skills.. SWEET.. 
Well things here in Charleroi are going well.. Elder Schmutz and I have been having trouble finding new investigators.. well I guess technically we find new people and have miracles, but then the miracle people leave for a week or are really sick and can't see us or just make other excuses to not have to meet with us..So this week was pretty much finding (tracting) all day everyday.
As for Daniel, he recieved the Aaronic Priesthood this Sunday and blessed the Sacrament... He is a stud.. He will be teaching this elect lady with us tomorrow.. 
Oh, before I forget, I got the pictures and my card Mom, thank you very much. I loved the pictures.. All the little kids have grown, especially Addi and Lilly. Craziness.. 
So yesterday I had an exchange with Elder Hoskyns my Zone Leader... It was awesome and full of the craziest miracles... So after church we had decided to go do some porting on this road before going to see a guy.. and the road that Elder Hoskyns was feeling just happened to be a road where we met this Romanian lady just a few days earlier.. So we decide to stop by.. and we ring the door bell.. and this girl comes out and is like, "ohhh no, we aren't interested" and we start talking to her for a second and then all of a sudden the girl that Elder Schmutz and I had contacted earlier named Lydia came out of the door just smiling.. and she was so excited.. so they told us to come in. We went in and started teaching her and her sister in law... it was going sooo good and we had just started talking about Joseph Smith when Lydia's husband comes bursting in the room... and is like, "who are you and what are you here to talk to me about?"... so we start explaining who we are and he starts trying to find all these faults in the Church and starts realizing that our church is pretty good.. so we are teaching him and his wife and sister in law and like three kids and the husband is just asking the perfect questions and we get done explaining the Apostasy and start explaining Joseph Smith and literally 8 HUGE mofia looking Romanians just start filing in and kids everywhere.. and we just looked at each other like "oh freak..." but then they all just start listening to us.. and the Spirit's pretty strong.. and everyone is just gathered around listening... then this really scary looking guy starts speaking Romanian and then everyone starts speaking and we are like "now, now, no speaking about me in your native tongue..." haha  No, we are just like "what is going on?"... then in broken French the ring leader looking guy is like "a besoin de la parole de dieu.." (We need the word of God..) then Lydia's husband is like "he wants you to go and give a prayer for our sick uncle in the hospital..." so we get in this huge caravan of 3 cars full of Romanians and go to the hospital where we find, no joking, 40 Romanians in the hall way and they are all just soo excited to see us... we were going to give him a blessing, but then he had to go back to his room.. so we will give it to him later..; but we are seeing this family this Friday, and everyone is just so excited to talk to us.. it was sweeeet..... Well I've got to go, but I love you all and will talk to you later..
Elder Von Simonson

Daniel's Baptism

Well things went so well with Daniel's baptism. It was sooo spiritual. Daniel's parents came and we had a great turn out with members. Esther spoke at his baptism on baptism and it was so solid. She has a way strong testimony of the restored gospel, it was sweet.

Also another member spoke on the Holy Ghost, but he spoke more about how much this gospel and the decision to be baptized blesses and changes lives. He talked about when his dad (the patriarch) decided to be baptized around 23 (the age of Daniel) and how he did not realize what a huge thing he was doing. And how becuse of that decision, he was married in the temple and had kids who were married in the temple and had kids etc. etc. .. It was cool. Also I don't think I told you but I was able to baptize Daniel. He chose me because it was me and Elder Reynolds who found him and he wanted someone from the Ward to confirm him. So that was sweet... I was content. President was able to attend the baptism. He said he felt like he needed to come down, so that was pretty cool and he bore his testimony and congratulated Daniel.
This Sunday we had a member of the Quorum of the Seventy present in our Sacrament Mtg... Elder Kopischke (from Germany) none of us are really sure why, but it was sweet because Daniel got the Holy Ghost and we had an awesome testimony meeting.
Daniel got up and was the last to bear his testimony before Elder K. It was so great.  His testimony was better than the other members who told stories.. haha, But he got up and told why he decided to be baptized and how he met us.. He said that when he met us he wasn't really interested but his heart or his soul or something inside of him told him to listen because we had something important to tell him..so he listened and then we asked him if we could talk to him another time.. so he said yes and then we invited him to church and he said yes and came because of curiosity, but then he loved it and felt really good.. but he said he figured he just showed up on a really good weekend.. SO he told himself he would try again next week and see what it was like and everytime he came it was just as good as the first.. and he said everytime we came over he felt good and felt like everything we told him was truth.. so that's why he decided to be baptized.. Then he said that he felt happier than he has ever felt in his life.. And at the pulpit he told the members that he was going to try his hardest to contribute to the Ward, that he was going to do his part and that he would be there every Sunday and that he wouldn't let down the Ward if they didn't let him down... it was so sweet... He is so elect.. He is getting the Aaronic Priesthood next Sunday and will be blessing the sacrament... It was great and all the members love him... Elder K. was smiling the whole time, as was I.. We sang the closing song stading up and I just started thinking... ya know, what if I didn't come on a mission, Daniel maybe wouldn't have had the chance to hear the gospel and be able to know the things that he needs to live with Heavenly Father after this life; It was pretty special... you could say I cried a little.. I definately know why I came to Charleroi.. and am thankful for the blessings I have seen...
Anyway, sounds like everything is going great back home... I love you all.. I will talk to you later!
Elder SImonson